Preservation Research

Featuring the first comprehensive look at American film preservation. Information was gathered through hundreds of interviews and library research, as well as public testimony and written statements from over 100 organizations and individuals.

  • American Silent Feature Film Database The American Silent Feature Film Database, which was created in conjunction with the report "The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929," contains searchable information for nearly 11,000 U.S. feature films, including which U.S. and international archives hold materials on the 3,300 titles for which film elements are known to exist. The American Silent Feature Film Database is a cooperative project of the Library...
  • What We Aim to Prevent The statistics are well-known and daunting: Fewer than 20% of American silent films still survive in complete form; and for American films produced before 1950, half no longer exist. Even post-1950 films face danger from threats such as color-fading, vinegar syndrome, shrinkage, and soundtrack deterioration.
  • Film Preservation Study The four-volume report is the first comprehensive look at American film preservation. Information was gathered through hundreds of interviews and library research, as well as public testimony and written statements from over 100 organizations and individuals. Volume 1 contains the report, while volumes 2 and 3 contain transcripts of public hearings held by the National Film Preservation Board.
  • Film Preservation Plan Redefining Film Preservation is an action plan to save America's motion picture heritage. Concluding a two-part process mandated by the National Film Preservation Act of 1992, it builds from the study Film Preservation 1993, submitted to Congress in June 1993, and presents recommendations by the Librarian of Congress and his advisory National Film Preservation Board. children: - title: Overview content: preservation-research/preservation-plan/overview.html slug: overview -...
  • National Film Preservation Plan: An Implementation Strategy As cinema enters its second century, thought properly turns to a thorough examination of film's glorious first 100 years--the many crowning achievements of this most popular of art forms, the growing importance of motion pictures in American cultural history and, more sadly, the large portion of our film heritage already lost. For all those who love film, the unquestionable duty becomes ensuring that surviving--and...
  • Television/Videotape Preservation Study American television and videotape heritage is at risk. Early television was broadcast live, kinescope or film copies were made selectively, other programs were deliberately destroyed, and videotapes were erased and recycled, still an unfortunate practice in the production of local television news. Television film and videotape vulnerability to deterioration further imperils this rich heritage, and additional videotape recordings may be lost to posterity if...
  • National Moving Image Plans Update Meeting (June 2006) Fifty persons from throughout the moving image community met for two days in Los Angeles in June 2006 to discuss the status of projects in the national preservation plans and to set priorities going forward. Here you can find the minutes from this 2-day meeting.
  • Born Digital: Guidance for Donors, Dealers and Archival Repositories Published by the Council on Library and Information Resources, this guide is intended for a broad audience with varying levels of interest and expertise, and offers practical recommendations for safeguarding born-digital materials.